


Scribble a Note on Your Heart

by Perpetual Motion (perpetfic)



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Head Injury, M/M, Prompt Fill, because baby giraffe legs, bingo prompt, lucky koala, olivia benson is best friends with an emotionally unsure koala, told through letters, well mostly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:47:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23896297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perpetfic/pseuds/Perpetual%20Motion
Summary: Rafael and Sonny just keep missing each other.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 99
Collections: April 2020 Barisi Bingo





	Scribble a Note on Your Heart

_Found your tie. Sorry about the dust. It got under the bed. - S._

*

_You were right, it's a good book. Thanks for the loan. -R._

*

_Would you please learn how to write actual letters? Reading your case notes on this one was like taking an eye test. - Barba_

*

_~~Would you please learn how to write actual letters? Reading your case notes on this one was like taking an eye test. - Barba~~ _

_Maybe the problem's not my writing, Counselor. You're probably overdue for an eye exam. Let me know if you're still squinting at this one. - Carisi_

*

_~~Would you please learn how to write actual letters? Reading your case notes on this one was like taking an eye test. - Barba~~ _

_~~Maybe the problem's not my writing, Counselor. You're probably overdue for an eye exam. Lemme know if you're still squinting at this one. - Carisi~~ _

_I have gone blind. - Barba_

*

_Buchanan's up to some bullshit. You were sleeping like the dead. Coffee's on. There's a spare key on the counter. - Rafael_

*

_Stopped by to see if you'd had lunch. Carmen said no, so I grabbed you your usual from the deli. - Carisi_

*

_Got called in. You groaned and rolled over. Coffee's going. Feel free to make anything in the fridge except the brisket. Spare key's hanging by the door. - Sonny_

*

_~~Got called in. You groaned and rolled over. Coffee's going. Feel free to make anything in the fridge except the brisket. Spare key's hanging by the door. - Sonny~~ _

_Only you would worry about someone making brisket in the morning. I used up the last of your eggs. They're on your shopping list. - Rafael_

*

_Thanks for sliding the key under the door. Didn't realize I still had yours, so here it is. - S_

*

_Carisi fell and hit his head on a curb. On the way to Mercy. I figured if he was dropping off your extra key, you'd want to know. - Carmen_

*

Liv looks up in surprise when Rafael walks into the waiting room at the ER. "Are you okay?" she asks, standing up as he strides over to her.

"I heard Carisi tripped over his giraffe legs," Rafael says.

Liv takes a moment to look at him. He's radiating confidence and annoyance, but the way he's set his mouth isn't quite right. If they weren't such good friends, she'd think he wasn't worried. "He lost consciousness for a few seconds, and when he came to, he was a little confused, but they're checking him over now, and he'll likely need an MRI."

"Who was he chasing?"

"Madison. Rollins and Fin have him in lock up. I'm here because Carisi tried to say he was fine--"

"Of fucking course," Rafael mutters with an eye roll that Liv doesn't buy for a second. 

"How'd you find out he was injured?" Liv asks, keeping her tone light. 

"Carmen."

"Uh-huh," Liv says, raising her eyebrows when Rafael cuts her a look.

Rafael lets out a loud breath. "We've been seeing each other some. A little. Not for a long time. A few weeks. But he dropped off my spare key to Carmen, so she figured I should know he was injured."

Liv takes that all in. "So...it's serious."

"No."

"Rafa."

He looks across the room, then back at Liv. Then down at his hand clenched around the handle of his briefcase, then back up at Livi. "Maybe it's getting serious," he says quietly. "I don't know."

"You don't know because you two haven't talked about it, or you don't know because you have talked about it, and you're still trying to decide?"

Rafael gives Liv a long-suffering look. "Do you honestly think Sonny Carisi has ever had a feeling he hasn't been honest about?"

Liv can't help her chuckle. "Okay, so you've talked about it. That's good."

Rafael takes a slow, deep breath. "We haven't come to any strong conclusions, but we agree we're both...open to…"

"I'm glad for you," Liv says, partly because it's true and partly because she can tell how difficult it is for Rafael to actually finish the sentence. "I don't need all the details, although I'd be happy to hear anything you want to share with me."

Rafael nods slowly. "I appreciate that. We...I want you to know we discussed disclosure the other night. We're both certain we don't want to put any of SVU's cases in danger by not disclosing."

"Disclosing is a big step," Liv says slowly. "I'm excited for you."

"Thanks." 

Liv reaches out and touches Rafael's arm lightly. "Come on. Sit down. I'll get you some terrible coffee."

"Okay." Rafael sits and puts his briefcase on his lap. He stares at his hands and feels the slight weight of his spare key in his inner suit jacket pocket. 

Liv comes back with two cups of coffee. She sits next to Rafael and doesn't say anything. There's nothing expectant about her silence, and Rafael is deeply glad they're friends. 

"Liv," he says after he's drunk half of his terrible coffee. "I'm pretty sure I'm in love with him."

Liv leans towards him so their arms press together. "Good for you," she says. 

*

Sonny wakes up in the hospital the next morning feeling fuzzy-headed. He has some scattered memories of the day before. He hit his head. There was an MRI. Something about the level of concussion and needing to stay overnight for observation. He has a passing memory of Liv talking to him, and he has a hazy memory of Rafael coming by but doesn't remember if they talked. 

He turns his head to look around the room and sees an envelope with his name on it. He opens it and takes out a piece of paper. There's a key taped to the paper. 

_Wanted to talk to you in person, but duty calls. I don't want this to be a spare key. I want it to be your key. I'm picking up disclosure forms today, and I'll bring them by this evening. If you aren't ready, that's fine. I'll be ready when you are. - Rafael_

Sonny stares at the key for a long moment, then looks around for a pen. He has to buzz for a nurse to get one. He crosses out his own name on the envelope and writes Rafael's, then he scrawls a message on the back of the page.

_I'm ready. Wake me up when you get here. - Sonny_


End file.
